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6 - Bible dictionaries
THERE are some Biblical reference books that serve the purpose we usually associate with a dictionary, in that they provide the meaning of words. They are usually classified as Expository Dictionaries, and we shall review those when considering language aids. Bible Dictionaries could equally be described as Bible Encyclopaedias, and sometimes they are.
Here’s an extract from two good ones, the first a twentieth century production, the second a nineteenth century one, to give you an idea of topic coverage.
ANNA (Gk. form of Heb. hannâ, ‘grace’). An aged widow, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (Lk. 2:36-38). Like Simeon, who also belonged to the remnant which “waited for the consolation of Israel”, she had prophetic insight, and was a regular attender at the morning and evening services in the Temple. On hearing Simeon’s words at the presentation of Jesus, she commended the child as the long-awaited Messiah, and praised God for the fulfilment of His promises. JDD (The New Bible Dictionary).
ANNA (Luke 2:36-37). Daughter of Phanuel, of Asher; a widow of 84; a prophetess, i.e. guided by Providence, when the infant Jesus was being presented in the temple, to come in “that instant,” and enabled by the Spirit to discern and to announce to others the Messiah, and to render praises accordingly. After seven years of married life she had given up all other concerns to join the women who devoted themselves to a continual attendance at the temple services “night and day”; “a widow indeed” (1 Timothy 5:5). One of “God’s own elect, which cry day and night unto Him,” looking for the promised redemption “unto which the twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come” (Acts 26:7; contrast Revelation 12:10; Luke 18:7; compare Exodus 38:8). It is remarkable she is the only one of note mentioned in Scripture of the tribe of Asher, though the name means “blessedness.”A sample of an aged female’s waiting faith, as Simeon is of an aged man’s (Fausset’s Bible Dictionary).
By comparison, Smith’s Bible Dictionary, has a short entry, for once, by B. F. Westcott which simply says,
A “prophetess” in Jerusalem at the time of our Lord’s birth (Luke 2:36).
So it is obvious that different contributors bring their own particular style and set of preferences.
Ancient or Modern?
One choice you might have to make is whether you would prefer an older Dictionary (which you could buy second-hand, or perhaps access in electronic format) or a more modern one. In general terms, the older ones tend to be more conservative and usually include entries by scholars who accepted the full inspiration of the scriptures.
Fausset’s Bible Dictionary is a one-man production: he was a co-author of the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary and wrote separate books on Judges and the Psalms. Smith’s Bible Dictionary (published in 1863) has many different contributers including Henry Alford, C. J. Ellicott, J. B. Lightfoot and A. H. Layard; Hastings’ Bible Dictionary uses writers like James Orr, W. M. Ramsay and A. H. Sayce. Not all their contributions are of the same depth or usefulness, as we have seen, but with such Bible students you can expect some useful comment and information.
More modern Dictionaries have the advantage that they include recent findings and developments in Bible study and interpretation. They vary however in their attitude to the authority of scripture and can be broadly grouped as conservative or more critical.
In the former category is The New Bible Dictionary (published by Inter-Varsity Press) and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (popularly known as ISBE, published by Eerdmans), which was revised in 1986 from an earlier version. In the ‘modern but more critical’ Bible Dictionaries category would be the Anchor Bible Dictionary (published by Doubleday in 1992), which contains some excellent material, but which needs to be used with caution.
That is true, of course, about any reference work or any book written about the scriptures. All need to be treated as secondary and subject to careful scrutiny. It is only the word of God which is divinely inspired.
Short or Long?
The other main choice to make when considering which might be best for you is the amount of space you have available. Dictionaries often come in several volumes. Smith has three volumes; Hastings, four (with an optional fifth); ISBE, four; Anchor Bible Dictionary, six. And the bigger the Dictionary, the more expensive it is. There are condensed (one volume) editions of Smith and Hastings which are still published and these may contain as much information as you want, or can cope with.
The New Bible Dictionary is just one volume anyway (of 1,375 pages) and has been revised several times already. IVP are now also publishing a set of specialist Dictionaries, on designated topics like “Jesus and the Gospels” and “Paul and his Letters”.
There are four New Testament ones and the publishers are now starting on the Old Testament. Some of these IVP publications can be obtained in electronic format, and they will all be made available eventually in a format which will integrate with the Libronix library software – the search engine which gives easy access to much of our own material, including The Christadelphian (1864-2000). But it’s worth noting that the cost of electronic material is much the same as for a printed version. What you save is space, and what you get is a better and wider search facility.
Recommendation
If you have the space, a conservative publication like the three volume Smith’s Bible Dictionary contains a vast amount of excellent material and can be a really worthwhile buy as a second-hand purchase. But it is not that easy to get, in good condition.
If you want something more compact, the one volume version of Smith or Fausset contains a lot of good material. And if you prefer something more up to date, but still conservative in its approach, then The New Bible Dictionary takes some beating.
There’s a fuller review here.
